griz
Member
I have a Topper 1542 without a trailer. A trailer isn't necessary because the boat is hoisted from the lake on a cradle originally used for the previous owners' jet skis. I want to add a casting deck to the front of the boat, but it's hard to work on it since the boat is over water. There's a dock on either side of the hoist, so I think my options are this:
Buy a trailer (like a normal person) so I can take the boat onshore and walk around it to do the work. This would cost ~$700 at a minimum for the poorly reviewed one from Academy and I'd not likely need a trailer once the mod is complete.
Or
Lift the cradle high enough to build a floor underneath that would span between the dock on either side. It's probably 10' across so 12' 2" x 8" would suffice as joists with OSB or plywood as decking. This would support the boat an allow me to walk around it. This would cost ~$200 at a minimum and I'd likely not need the 'floor' once the mod is complete, so I'd just remove it and repurpose the wood.
One option seems to be way cheaper, but way weirder. What would you do?
Also, is there such a thing as renting a trailer? I don't know anyone who could loan me one.
Buy a trailer (like a normal person) so I can take the boat onshore and walk around it to do the work. This would cost ~$700 at a minimum for the poorly reviewed one from Academy and I'd not likely need a trailer once the mod is complete.
Or
Lift the cradle high enough to build a floor underneath that would span between the dock on either side. It's probably 10' across so 12' 2" x 8" would suffice as joists with OSB or plywood as decking. This would support the boat an allow me to walk around it. This would cost ~$200 at a minimum and I'd likely not need the 'floor' once the mod is complete, so I'd just remove it and repurpose the wood.
One option seems to be way cheaper, but way weirder. What would you do?
Also, is there such a thing as renting a trailer? I don't know anyone who could loan me one.